From a personal standpoint, the beginning of 2009 has been fairly uneventful for me. I am almost over what has seemed like an endless cold, which I first contracted in January. It forced me to postpone a wisdom tooth extraction, which I suppose I will have to reschedule soon. I am still in post-Christmas shape, which means I need to do much more in the way of exercise. Fortunately, my family have kindly arranged for me to get a bicycle for my forthcoming birthday. With spring on the way and plenty of places to ride nearby, I hope to start improving my overall fitness.

Politics has been crazy over the last couple of months. I cannot recall an occasion when so much happened in such a short space of time - the pace of the new Obama administration is relentless. Let us hope the legislation designed to improve liquidity in the financial system and stimulate the economy will lead to a reversal of the alarming negative growth and job losses.